Getting a full eight hours of sleep is often recommended to leave us feeling replenished and ready to jump out of bed in the morning.
But one sleep expert has revealed that this might not even be enough to keep sleepy feelings at bay due to one big mistake a lot of us are making.
Dr Carmel Harrington suggests that rather than focusing solely on how many hours we get, we should make sure we have a consistent waking up time.
‘Most people don’t know that the time you get up in the morning affects the time you will be able to fall asleep that night,’ the Australian specialist told Whimn.
‘When we see bright light in the morning our brain switches off the production of melatonin and it is this off-switching that actually sets up our 24-hour body clock.’
It’s important to reset our biological clock and our circadian rhythm by getting up at the same time each morning. If this is not done, your sleep is negatively affected, and it can also affect your hunger, motivation and efficiency during the day.
Consistency is key, so try keeping to a strict bed time and wake up time to reap the benefits.
‘As our getting up time plays a role in what time we are ready to sleep that night, a regular wake up time is probably more important,’ Dr Harrington said.
‘For this reason it’s recommended that you don’t vary your wake-up time by more than an hour.’
Having trouble sleeping? Good bedroom hygiene, clean sheets, and avoiding using smartphones before bed are all helpful in sending us off to sleep.
